During the spring season, Iran has seen a lot of rain. This is good news for Iran’s date sector, as most spring seasons for the last couple of years were subject to severe draughts. “We’re very happy about this. We predict a good year for agricultural produce, especially for dates. Unless something unexpected happens, like a destructive heatwave one week before the harvest, we’ll see a big and healthy crop this year,” says Behnaz H. Beik of the Iranian date company Aban Arya.
The harvest for early varieties like Mozarati starts in the second or third week of August, while late varieties like Pyarom are harvested from the second or third week of October onward. This means that in general the season for Iranian dates usually lasts from mid August until early November.
“Our total export for 2016 amounted up to 1,200 tons. We can still sell up to 100 to 200 tons of the pitted Sayer variety that is still left over from 2016 crop, until the new supply for this variety becomes available from mid September until mid October. The pitted Sayer is usually meant for industrial processing and isn’t marketed during Ramadan. That’s the reason why we’re still able to supply this date variety,” explains Behnaz.
Behnaz is expecting a 20% increase in export volume. “We’ve managed to provide good services to our customers with great quantities, competitive prices and on time deliveries. We also saw an improvement in diplomatic relations between Iran and other countries. Especially European countries are showing an increased interest in trade with Iran. We noticed this when we attended the 2016 edition of SIAL Paris. The attitude of potential European customers was much more positive than when the sanctions against Iran were still in place."
According to Behnaz, the prices for the season of 2017 are going to be similar to those of 2016. “Nothing has happened to severely affect the market. Our domestic market is stable as well. Demand on the export market is also bound to increase, as more people in the world are becoming aware of the health benefits of dates.”
There are already companies buying dates for the next Ramadan. Orders for the Ramadan season usually need to be placed at least a month prior to the Ramadan festivities. This means that retailers need to have their offering of dates in place well before that, also due to factors like the necessary custom clearances, marketing, etc.
“Large distribution chains usually start negotiations for the supply of dates six to seven months before Ramadan and receive their shipments three months before Ramadan starts. In this way they’re set to gain a larger market share as opposed to those companies that start out too late."
